The End of Innocence
by Dr-Lovekill
Summary: A tribute to the people of Japan. Sort of AU. The characters as they experience the quake and its aftermath. Their thoughts and actions as it shakes not only the earth, but the world of Osaka-chan. Written with respect and condolence.
1. Chapter 1: Quake

_I am taking a break from my other projects to write this. I want to use this fic as a medium to raise awareness about the recent disasters in the Tohoku Prefecture of Japan. We, the readers, and writers of need to give any support we can to those affected. If you know an author from the region, give them moral support. Send a PM or e-mail offering condolence and someone to talk to. If you can, donate money or food to any of the charities working with those impacted by the quake and subsequent tsunami. Japan has given us so much. Let us give back, now when they need help. _

_**And if you are one of the people in the region hit by the disaster, keep hanging on. Your country is still strong, and will recover. Your society is showing its true strength right now, through the Japanese people who without delay set upon helping their neighbors, coworkers and classmates, to the workers at the **__**Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, selflessly volunteering to give their lives to try to avert a larger calamity. Japan still stands, as it always has, because of its people.**_

_**Without further ado, I now give you this fic. I hope you like. This is dedicated to the victims and the survivors of the disaster, their families, and the people of Japan. –Dr. Lovekill **_

A normal day…a normal day in a normal week. Normal being relative of course. That simply meant that, at least in this particular classroom, Chiyo was three chapters ahead of the teacher, and Osaka was daydreaming about a giant flowering bush in the lawn outside the window assuming a life of its own in an orgy of twisting and snapping branches of Lovecraftian proportions as it tried to eat a squirrel. Tomo, Yomi and Sakaki were somewhere in between the extremes. But all days of infamy begin on deceptively auspicious notes.

"Miss Kasuga?" Miss Yukari said. Osaka was off in her fantasy and didn't hear. "Osaka?" Miss Yukari growled, realizing the spacey girl wasn't paying attention again. "MISS KASUGA!"

"OH! Huh?" Osaka said, snapping out of her dream.

"If you wrote half of your daydreams down, Miss Kasuga," Yakari-san commented. "You'd be a great writer…" Tomo and Chiyo giggled.

"Sorry." Osaka replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Okay…" Miss Yukari said. "Anyone know the answer? Miss Mihama?" Before Chiyo could answer, there was a sudden tremor that shook the classroom. The students all gasped as the ground began to shake. Being drilled incessantly by the School system for earthquakes, the students all instinctively dove under their desks and covered their heads as the warning sirens began to wail. Miss Yukari stumbled to her desk, barely able to walk amid the trembling of the floor. She crawled under the desk as ceiling tile began to fall.

"We're gonna die…we're gonna die…" Tomo gasped repeatedly, squeezing her eyes closed. Chiyo, curled up in a tight ball, tried desperately to assure herself mentally that earthquakes didn't last that long, and buildings are built to withstand them. Koyomi Clenched two fistfuls of hair painfully tight as she shook, possibly more than the earth beneath her. Osaka sat, almost hypnotized by the destructiveness of the quake, and how all the books were falling off of the desks, but a ceramic mug on Miss Yukari's desk was just dancing around in circles. Sakaki's desk suddenly turned over, leaving her exposed. She froze in fear as parts of ceiling and broken glass from the overhead lights fell around her.

Kaorin saw the danger Sakaki was now in. She was terrified, but she couldn't let anything happen to Sakaki-chan. She bolted from under her desk, and climbed over Sakaki, using her own body as a shield. They both felt someone grab the collars of their pink shirts.

"Move!" Kagura yelled, half dragging them under an empty desk where they all three huddled together tightly. A plate glass window shattered, sending shards of glass onto the spot where they had just been. Then, just as quickly as it started, the quake was over. Everyone stayed where they were for a few moments more, still frozen in fear and shock. Finally, Miss Yukari slowly crawled out from underneath her desk, pushing aside pieces of cork tile, and dusting plaster from her clothes.

"Is everyone…okay?" She panted. "Come on, is anyone hurt?" One by one, the students began to move, cautiously and slowly. A few stood and looked around at the destruction. Kagura, Sakaki and Kaorin crawled from under the desk and stood. Sakaki looked at Kaorin.

"Thank…thank you, Kaori-chan." Sakaki said, still trembling. Kaorin blushed. "And thank you, Kagura…you saved us."

"It was nothing." Kagura said with a smile, trying to suppress her own emotions.

"Osaka, are you okay?" Tomo asked. Osaka looked up from underneath her desk. Two pieces of ceiling lay on her desk, giving it a strange tent-like appearance.

"Um…uh-huh." She said. "I mean, I think so." She didn't move from her shelter.

"Okay, everyone listen up!" Miss Yukari announced. "There's probably going to be aftershocks. Your parents will be contacted as soon as possible." She sighed. "At least everyone is okay. That was a big earthquake. I think it was as big as the one in '95…" He cell phone rang. "Hello?" She said over the phone. "What…what? Oh my god!" All the students looked on, wondering what was wrong. "How bad…" Her mouth hung agape. "Hello? Hello?" She pressed the disconnect button and rubbed her forehead.

"What happened, Yukari-sensei?" Tomo asked. "Is everything okay?"

"A tsunami…a big one…" Their teacher replied. "It's really bad. Especially around Sendai." Osaka looked up fearfully.

"Sendai…" She repeated quietly.

There was a silence. Everyone seemed to grasp the tragedy that was befalling their country, if only in their own quiet speculation. To one dreamy brown-eyed girl there, the tragedy was a little more personal.

_I'll try to get the next chapter up tonight or tomorrow, so keep checking in._


	2. Chapter 2: Impact

_Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. It took longer than I thought, but at least it's finished. I hope everyone reading this is getting the emotional impact from this that I intended. It is hard to imagine all the stories…all the lives affected in Japan. Lives are like stories, growing and changing with us. In Japan, many stories ended in one dark moment, while millions of other stories have now become tragedies. Please help. Send what you can…money, food, even letters. Help try to give some stories a happier note._

_I can't help but feel a little emotional as I wrote this. I was much like Osaka when I was young…a dreamer. And it is always us, the idealists, the dreamers of the world, who suffer the most once we feel the cold sting of life. I guess that's why I chose her as the lead…I can relate. I have felt loss and pain, and it shook me from my youth perhaps a little too early. _

_Reviews are welcome. Please feel free to comment, or even to throw out some ideas. And be polite. I'm not writing this for me, but for them. _

The six girls began walking home. It had taken some time for everyone to get a call through to their parents, and damage was less severe in some buildings than others. Fortunately, aside from some broken glass and upset furniture, all of their houses were safe. Osaka had been grimly quiet since the quake, and as they walked, she finally spoke.

"Um…can I ask a favor, you guys?" She asked meekly. The others stopped. Something was wrong with Osaka. She seemed really worried or sad about something.

"Sure, Osaka." Yomi replied.

"You know you can ask us anything, Osaka-Chan!" Chiyo chimed.

"Well…could you maybe…come to my place?" She asked.

"Sure. I'm sure our parents will let us if you need help." Kagura stated.

"Uh-huh." The others agreed.

"Is something bothering you?" Yomi asked. "You've been really quiet and…down."

"Yeah, you're not yourself at all." Sakaki added. "Are you still freaked about the quake? I know I'm still a little shaken up." She grinned at her wording. "No pun intended."

"I just…My parent's aren't home, and I don't want to be alone, okay?" Osaka replied, as if she were trying to hold back emotion.

"Oh." Yomi said. They took out their cell phones, and after a few more minutes of dialing, they okayed It through their families.

Throughout the rest of the journey, Osaka was silent. The others began to suspect that there was something more to her melancholy than she admitted. When they passed by a store, Osaka stopped to stare at the television sets. They were streaming images of the flooding and the damage to the north. The group all watched the reports. They all knew that this was bad. They knew that a great many people had probably died. Tears filled Osaka's brown eyes. She wiped them away, and began walking away quickly. The girls looked at one another sadly, and ran to catch up. After reaching Osaka's apartment building, they climbed three flights of stairs. At the door of the apartment, Osaka quietly retrieved a small brass key from her bag and unlocked the door. She turned the knob and paused for a moment, as if wondering whether to continue or not. She sighed.

"Are you…sure you're okay, Osaka-chan?" Yomi asked. She, like the others, was becoming concerned with Osaka's strange behavior. Tomo paced a hand on Osaka's shoulder. Osaka seemed a little startled at the touch.

"It's…it's just…" Osaka stammered. "let's go in and have something to eat." She pushed open the door, and stepped inside. Tomo and Yomi looked at each other and followed her in. Chiyo and Sakaki entered next. Kagura paused a moment. She knew something was wrong with her classmate, and had her suspicions. She entered Osaka's apartment.

Anything that was once on the walls, or on a shelf was now in the floor. Broken glass twinkled on the blue carpet like stars in a twilight sky. Osaka knelt and picked up a photograph. The others could see that it was a photo of her, standing between a beautiful, brown-haired woman, and a handsome, strong-looking man. Osaka placed the photo upright on a shelf.

"Mom and dad will be sad to see all this stuff broken…" Osaka said. She still looked at the picture.

"Is that your parents?" Chiyo asked, tugging at one of her ponytails, trying to say something to break the tense feeling in the room.

"Yeah. That's me and my mom and dad on vacation a couple years ago." Osaka said, smiling. "We went to the beach and…" Her expression suddenly changed to one of worry again. The question was there, but no one wanted to ask it.

"Ayumu-Chan…" Yomi said, using Osaka's real name for the first time since she had met the girl. "Where _are_ your parents?" Osaka looked up at her and sniffled.

"They're visiting my aunt…my mother's sister. I'm sure they're okay. I'm sure of it."

"They were in Sendai, weren't they, Osaka?" Kagura asked, kneeling beside Osaka. Osaka gabbed Kagura's arm, and began crying into her shoulder. Kagura placed her arms around the girl.

"Oh my god, Osaka!" Sakaki exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"They're okay…they have to be!" Osaka sobbed. No one knew what to say or do. Their friend, funny, sweet, dreamy Osaka was having a breakdown, and they all felt powerless to help her. Life had been good. They realized how innocent they had been, and now it seemed that this one event had marred their worlds forever. They sat in silence, holding Osaka while she wept.

_I'll try to have another chapter up in a few days. Until then, live my friends. Live and laugh like there's no tomorrow. If this whole catastrophe has taught us anything, it's that you never know…_


	3. Chapter 3: Dreams

_Knowing that this fic is having the impact it is on the readers is steeling me to keep it going. The news seems to have forgotten there is a crisis in Japan. The U.S. government has abandoned the people there. But we cannot forget. We have to do all we can. If you have not donated money or food, do so now. Just a dollar or two if that's all you have. Just a couple cans of soup if that's all you can send. _

_I now give you the next chapter. I'll try to get a couple more up in the next week or so. _

Osaka watched as the ground shook violently. Buildings toppled like houses of cards amid flame and the terrible roaring of concrete and steel. The earth split open, tearing like paper. She desperately wanted to run. Somewhere…anywhere, but she felt paralyzed. She wanted to close her eyes, to shut out the destruction happening before her. Then another roar filled the air. A 10 story wall of water loomed over the city, coming like an express train. Osaka saw her parents. She tried to scream to them. She tried to move. The water came crashing down.

"Osaka-chan!" Sakaki yelled, snapping her out of her day-mare. Osaka gasped and looked around. She realized that she was sitting on her bed in her room. There was no earthquake, no tsunami. The others were standing around her bed, staring with concern and sadness in their eyes. Chiyo had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Wha…oh…I was just dreaming…" She said.

"Yeah, we know." Kagura said. "You kinda drifted off, then started crying and screaming. You had us really worried.

"It's okay, Osaka." Chiyo said. "We're here." Kagura looked away. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Osaka was going through. It pained her to see her friend like this. Osaka was always so carefree, so happy. It was if the disaster had struck Osaka's heart and ravaged it like it had the cities to the north. She looked back to see Osaka sniffling, tears in her eyes, while Yomi held her. Osaka's free spirit was broken. Her heart was shattered like the windows in the classroom.

Kagura walked to the window, and looked out into the town. In the evening sunlight, people were still sweeping up glass, and righting overturned objects. They all had a look of weariness on their faces. A look of determined weariness. Kagura knew this look. It was the look a runner or a swimmer gets when they are nearly overcome with fatigue, but refuse to give up. She sighed. What was the point? Where was the finish line? From the reports coming out of Sendai, 15,000 were either dead or missing. She sighed again. She supposed there was nothing else to do but carry on, to keep fighting. She knew from history that Japan had endured unbelievable hardships, and always came out on top. It was the indomitable spirit of the country. Kagura looked back at Osaka.

"Maybe you should try calling your parents again." She said. "And at your aunts house in Sendai."

"Yeah, maybe you can get through now." Tomo added. She looked away. The news was saying that no one could get a call into or out of the area where the tsunami had hit. She wondered how that could be. Japan had one of the strongest cellular networks in the world. The several different companies had hundreds of cell towers everywhere. How could they all be down? Yomi left the room to see if she couldn't learn more from the news.

Osaka picked up the phone, and nervously dialed. She held it to her ear. The voice on the line reported that the number was out of service. To Osaka, the voice might as well have been a death-spirit speaking to her. She ended the call, and called her mother's cell. The same message played. She began breathing hard. She dialed another number, the one to her aunt Miyuki's house. She bit her lip as she waited. When she heard the busy signal, Osaka dropped the phone onto her bed and burst into tears again.

"They're dead! I just know it!" She sobbed. "Why? Why?" She began pounding the mattress with her and Sakaki restrained her.

"You have to be strong, okay?" Kagura asked, looking Osaka in the eyes. "You can't give up hope. Ever, okay? Your parents could be fine, and you know they'd never give up on you, right?" Osaka nodded. "Then you can't give up on _them_."

"Thank you…Kagura." Osaka said. She sniffed, and tried to give a little smile.

"That's more like it." Kagura said with a smile. She walked to the door of Osaka's room. Tomo Grabbed her arm lightly.

"Thanks." Tomo whispered. Kagura nodded. She walked into the next room where Yomi sat, watching the news reports coming out of Sendai and the surrounding area. The reports were grim. Footage of houses completely destroyed, and cars piled up like toys showed the destruction was complete.

"This is bad…" Yomi said as Kagura sat down beside her. "…it's real bad."

"I see that." Kagura replied. "Any word on whether or not there are any survivors?" She looked back toward Osaka's room as she said the last word.

"They said shelters are being set up for survivors in safe areas." Yomi said. "But there's still so many people missing. I don't know, Kagura…do you think…"

"We have to have hope!" Kagura exclaimed. "If they're alive, we have to find them. I can't stand seeing Osaka like that!" Yomi looked down at the floor. She couldn't bear seeing her friend so sad either. That's why she had left the room to watch the news. She was afraid that she would start crying too, and didn't want to make things worse.

"I know." She said. "But what can we do?" Kagura stood, and paced back and forth a few times. She clenched her fists.

"If her parents are alive, we don't stop until we find them! We'll try to call the shelters. If we can't reach them, then we'll go to the shelters and look for them!"

"Yeah." Sakaki said, entering the room. "We'll do whatever we can for Osaka!"

_I've been through a few disasters, and seen the suffering and emotional strain caused by extreme situations first-hand, and I wanted to capture that a little in this chapter; the way it affects those who have lost contact with loved ones…not knowing if they're still alive. I can't explain what it's like, and unless you've been there personally, you could never truly understand it. Hopefully, I was able to paint a fairly accurate picture of it. _

_I apologize to anyone reading this who is actually involved. I know I didn't make it seem as bad as it really is, but that would be impossible to do in writing. If you are there, and you are involved, you are in my thoughts. I know that is overused, and of not much account, but at the moment, I am unable to go there. If I could, I would be on the first charter flight to Japan, and volunteer to help. I want to do so badly…_

_I will try to get another chapter up in the next day or so, and hopefully complete the story within a week. Until next time, be well, friends. _


	4. Chapter 4:Heroes

_Sorry for the length of time it took to get this chapter up. I've been really busy at home, and working on a couple more fics as well. I would ask that if you like this story and wish to comment, please don't turn it into a political debate. The people who have recently had their mothers, fathers, brothers, classmates and friends killed, and lost EVERYTHING probably don't give a damn about democrats, republicans, or the turmoil our leaders in THIS country have gotten us all into! This is a story about tragedy and hope, friendship and overcoming a terrible calamity. Not about political and religious ideology. I personally have no love for EITHER, and don't side with anyone. Arguing about politics and religion is nothing short of two baboons having an over-evolved close-minded ideological fecal-fight. I, like most people who have actually been SHOT at don't care about politics. I care about humanity. About LIFE. I only care that I have food for tomorrow, those in need are helped, and justice prevails._

_Sorry for the rant. Please enjoy the latest chapter, posted for all those who have been touched by this fic. And let's not forget the reason for this story, and keep them all in our thoughts. _

The six people crammed into Yukari's car drove toward the epicenter of the disaster, unsure of what might greet them once they arrived. They had left Chiyo behind. Miss Yukari and Kagura didn't think that she should see what the five remaining girls and their teacher might experience. She was too young. Leaving their companion behind had been heartbreaking.

"You shouldn't come, Chiyo-Chan." Kagura had said.

"But why not?" Chiyo protested. "I want to help Osaka too!" Miss Yukari knelt in front of her.

"Chiyo…" Yukari said gently, "where we're going…you don't need to go. The things we might…we don't want you to get hurt. You understand, right?" Chiyo just nodded. She ran up to Osaka, and hugged her tightly, and told her to not be afraid. She told Osaka that she cared about her, and wanted her to call if she needed anything. The others had to wipe tears from their eyes.

Full fledged post-apocalyptic wasteland. That was the view from the car as Osaka, Kagura, Sakaki, Yomi and Tomo viewed the horrors of a devastated landscape from car. The police officer was explaining to Miss Yukari that he could not permit motor vehicles any further. He motioned past the emergency vehicles, toward the road ahead. With all the debris, and whole portions of the road itself missing, it looked as though a bulldozer couldn't get through anyway.

"I guess we walk from here, guys." Kagura said. Miss Yukari backed up, and pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road. They climbed out, and as the girls looked out silently over the landscape ahead, Yukari explained to the police officer that they were searching for a missing couple, and needed through. The officer looked around as if unsure of what to do.

"It's…it's for your own safety. You can't go on any further." The officer stated.

"Look…" Tomo began, "our friend there has no idea whether or not her parents are alive, and we're going to search every shelter, every hospital, every nook and cranny in northern Japan until we find them, whether you like it or not!" The officer looked around again.

"Yeah…go on." He said. "Just…be careful."

"You got it." Yukari said, leading the girls past. The girls stopped and turned. Osaka was still standing beside the car, staring blankly at the damage ahead.

"Um…Osaka?" Yomi asked, walking back to Osaka. Tomo and Sakaki looked at each other worriedly. "Are you…okay?" Osaka didn't answer. She seemed entranced. The others walked back to Osaka. Tomo grabbed her shoulder and shook her.

"Hey, Osaka, snap out of it!" Tomo said.

"Huh? Oh." Osaka replied. She turned away, and sniffled. "I…I don't think I can do it."

"We've come too far to turn back now." Yomi said. "Your parents are still out there somewhere."

"I know." Osaka replied.

"Then we have to keep going." Tomo said.

"Guys?" Osaka asked.

"Yeah?" Tomo replied.

"What is it?" Sakaki asked.

"Why are you guys doing this for me?"

"Because we love you, Osaka-Chan!" Tomo said.

"Yeah, you're our friend," Yomi agreed. "We'd do anything to help you. That's what friends are for." Osaka smiled, despite the tears in her eyes.

"And you are without a doubt one of the most…memorable students I've ever had." Miss Yukari smiled.

"Thanks, guys." Osaka said. She inhaled deeply and sighed. "I guess we should go. My mom and dad are probably real worried about me."

"I'm sure they are." Sakaki said. They walked past the road block, toward the unknown. Miss Yukari quickened her pace, and walked beside Kagura.

"What about you?" Yukari asked, keeping her voice low.

"Hm?" Kagura replied.

"You've been really quiet through all of this, but you act like this is some kind of personal crusade or something. What's up with that?"

"It's just…" Kagura began, "…a girl like her…I mean…anyone shouldn't have to go through this…but I don't want to see someone so…"

"Innocent." Yukari said.

"Yeah…innocent." Kagura said. "Someone so innocent and good natured as Ayumu suffering like this…It's like watching someone step on a flower, you know?" She looked down as she walked. "It's just not fair."

"No." Yukari agreed. "I guess that's why I wanted to help too."

They walked seemingly forever, the sight growing more and more tragic. People dug through rubble, while others walked, almost like zombies, with bags or armloads of personal possessions. Emergency crews were everywhere the further the group went into what was once a town. Every time they saw a small group of them carrying a heavy white bag, they turned their heads, and tried not to look. They talked with every police officer, paramedic and fire fighter who wasn't distracted, showing them the photograph of Osaka's parents. It was always the same; they just shook their heads and went back to what they were doing.

"You may try at one of the shelters." One officer said. "But they are very disorderly right now."

"Try the hospital. They took many survivors from this area there." A paramedic said.

"No, the hospital has been evacuated." Yet another officer told them. "They were all moved to the shelter to the west of town."

They walked on, getting the same responses. Everything was confused. Everything was chaos. The few survivors who remained in the ruins were ragged. Some had bandages wrapped around their arms or heads. They passed a mother and her young son, wandering toward an ambulance in the distance.

"I'm hungry, mama." The young child whined. Yomi looked at them. The boy couldn't be over 5 years old. She fished through her small bag, and produced a box of pocky.

"Here." The girl said with a smile, giving the boy the box. The boy's mother smiled, and tears fell down her cheeks.

"Thank you. Thank you so much! Oh, thank you." The woman said repeatedly. Yomi blushed.

"It's nothing, ma'am." Yomi said. They walked on what would have been another block, when suddenly Osaka stopped.

"It was here…somewhere, I'm sure of it." She said.

"What, your aunt's house?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah…it was…It's gone…but it was…oh god…" She began breathing heavily, then shaking. She began hyperventilating, and started to fall. Sakaki saw what was happening, and took her by the shoulders.

"Calm down! Just breathe Osaka!" Sakaki commanded. She shook Osaka gently. "Don't! Just focus!" The others watched, unable to help their friend. Kagura turned away, wiping tears from her eyes. "Osaka!" Sakaki exclaimed. Osaka began breathing slower. She looked into Sakaki's eyes. "Good. Now calm down, okay? You're okay. It's all gonna be okay." Osaka fell into Sakaki and began weeping on her shoulder. Sakaki didn't know what more to do. She held Osaka until the girl regained enough of her composure to continue on.

Near the remains of a large nearby building, a team of emergency workers were busily digging through rubble. An official-looking man in a helmet was barking out orders to the other men.

"Stay here." Yukari said. The girls watched her jog over to the man, and begin talking to him, pointing, and showing him the photo. The man pointed toward the men clearing the debris, and began gesturing helplessly.

Osaka wandered a few yards away, looking around at the tangled masses of former buildings, the pools of dirty seawater standing in any depression or low area, at the cars perched in impossible places, in trees, on houses that were somehow still standing. She began to wonder how the car got on top of the house…

"Help…" She heard a voice call. It sounded distant and muffled. Osaka looked for the source of the cry. "Please…" She heard it call. Something made her look down. A few feet away, a piece of wall was moving gently. Osaka moved closer, and knelt down. She took the edge of the piece of plaster in her hands, and lifted it. A woman lay buried in the wreckage, only her hand was sticking out from between two wooden beams.

"OH!" Osaka gasped. "Um…guys! Hey, there's somebody over here!" The girls came running. Immediately, Sakaki and Kagura seized the piece of wall and carried it out of the way. They and Tomo began trying to clear some of the rubble. The emergency crew saw what was happening, and moved quickly to help the girls.

"Osaka…" Yomi said, standing beside Osaka, and placing a hand on her shoulder. "…you just saved someone's life."

"I…I did?" Osaka said softly. "I guess I did, huh?" The rescue crew carefully pulled a young woman from the pile of wood and masonry.

"Mm hmm." Yomi answered.

"We have to get this woman medical attention!" The man in the helmet called to the group. "If you want a ride to the shelter…you may find who you're looking for there."

"Come on, hero." Tomo said to Osaka with a smile. "Maybe your parents are at the shelter."


End file.
